


More Than What You Know

by benjaminrussell



Series: 9-1-1 Halloween [1]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:54:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27284503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benjaminrussell/pseuds/benjaminrussell
Summary: Firehouse 118 is a hotspot for the supernatural, so if a firefighter in LA has any sort of connection to the magical world, they tend to find themselves at the 118 eventually.Eddie Diaz is one such firefighter, drawn to the company of others like him. Despite the wide range of abilities the team has, they all come in useful on calls at one point or another.
Series: 9-1-1 Halloween [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1992148
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53
Collections: 911 and 911 Lone Star Halloween Fest 2020





	More Than What You Know

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [Jecari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jecari/pseuds/Jecari) for beta reading this!
> 
> The matching gifset is available [here!](https://benjaminrussell.tumblr.com/post/633422679955865600/9-1-1-halloween-fest-2020-more-than-what-you-know)

## Buck

When Eddie started at the 118, he knew it was the unofficial station for everything and everyone supernatural. It’d been what’d drawn him there after all. But for all that the majority of the staff were connected to the supernatural in some way, it wasn’t often actually that evident.

Take Buck for example, it wasn’t until Eddie had been on the job for a few months that he saw evidence that his friend wasn’t 100% normal human. The 118 were called to an industrial fire on the outskirts of the city, where a malfunctioning sprinkler system had meant that what should have been a small fire that was put out in minutes was able to grow into a raging inferno that was rapidly taking over the building. They immediately started venturing inside to rescue trapped members of staff, while the 113 who’d also been dispatched to the call focused on trying to put out the blaze. It was slow going, but they were making progress and eventually all of the staff but one were accounted for. Buck and Eddie started on one last sweep, heading to the only bit of the building they hadn’t yet searched (but that was still accessible).

“There’s someone in here!” Eddie called out when he peered through a small window in a door and spotted a woman unconscious on the floor. He tried the handle, but it was firmly locked, and a quick glance around revealed an electronic card reader that presumably controlled access to the lab. He clicked on his radio to report back to Bobby.

“Cap, we’ve found the scientist but she’s unconscious behind a locked door which looks to have key card access. Can you see if anyone here has access to room 3A? Looks like she was hit by falling debris.”

“Copy that.” While Bobby went to see about getting inside the room, Buck and Eddie scanned their surroundings to see if they could get in any other way. The lab itself looked to be a secure room, which might give the scientist a bit more time but also would make Buck and Eddie’s job harder.

“Let’s try breaking down the door.” Buck raised his voice to be heard over the background noise and nodded towards the door. Eddie didn’t think they were likely to get through, but it was still worth a shot. He nodded and moved to the side so they could both ram the door at the same time.

“On three!”

“One, two, three!” Despite not even having a battering ram, they attempted to break it down with their body weight but as Eddie had suspected, the door barely even shifted. They tried again but had no more luck than the first time.

“No-one here can access that room, so I’m coming to you with a battering ram.” Bobby’s voice crackled out of their radios, crushing any hope that they’d be able to get into the room easily. “Hen and Chim too, in case she needs medical attention when we get to her.”

The fire was getting steadily closer, but if they could only get into the room, they still had time to get the woman out safely. Eddie tried to open the door with his halligan bar while they waited for the others, but all he accomplished was setting off another flashing light alongside the fire alarm. The door must be rigged to sense tampering. As the others knew where they were going instead of having to search room to room, it thankfully didn’t take them long to reach Buck and Eddie. Bobby handed Buck the battering ram and the rest of them stepped back to give him room to work. Buck swung the ram several times, but he still got no further than a small rattle. Clearly the door was meant to stand up to an armoured truck or something ridiculous like that.

“Cap.” Buck dropped the ram and immediately drew Eddie’s attention from where he’d been watching the corridor for any signs of the fire nearing them. Eddie expected the younger man to have come up with an unconventional plan that would allow them to rescue the scientist. What he hadn’t expected was for Buck to have tears dripping down the small amount of his face visible through the breathing mask. They all broke down at some point or other on the job, after a call that had been particularly bad or one that hit just that bit too close to home, but they were all professionals and usually managed to push back their feelings until the callout was done. And it wasn’t like Buck to just give up on saving someone, especially when what was trapping them was just a simple door. Even if said door was as reinforced as a bank vault.

Bobby just nodded in response though, giving permission for whatever Buck had wordlessly suggested and seemingly unworried by the crying. Before Eddie could step forward and check on his friend however, something unexpected happened. Buck’s tears came faster and faster, then there was a moment where Eddie’s brain didn’t know how to process what was happening in front of him, and suddenly Buck was gone and all that was left in his place was a puddle of water running towards the locked door. Huh. Maybe he was descended from a water spirit or something. Eddie peered through the small window in the door just in time to see Buck stepping out of the puddle next to the unconscious scientist. He quickly checked her vitals, before pulling her ID badge off her lab coat and darting to the door. There was a beep as he held the card to the lock, and then the door swung open. Eddie jumped back to allow Hen and Chimney to rush in and do their thing and shot Buck a quick grin when their eyes met. Eddie thought Buck actually looked a little embarrassed, but the fire was still getting closer, so Eddie put it to the back of his mind and kept a close eye on their surroundings.

He could ask about Buck’s ability later.

## Chimney

Chimney’s turn came next. Eddie had seen the man use his ability before, using it for the party trick of eating all the flames off his birthday cake instead of just blowing out the candles. Watching him do it when it became useful on a call was another thing entirely though.

They’d been sent to a housefire, and again there was someone unaccounted for. The mother and kids had been in the front bedroom, allowing Buck to go up on the ladder and get them out through the window. There was no sign of the father however, and Eddie’s foray inside to search for him had been cut short by part of the ceiling collapsing in front of him. He retreated outside, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get through that way safely anymore, and beelined for Bobby to report the situation. There was a chance they’d be able to get further from the back door or the side porch, but before Eddie could make that suggestion, a god-awful scream became audible over the roar of the fire. Everyone in the vicinity’s heads snapped around to stare in the direction of the house, just in time to see a burning figure burst through the porch door. Out of the corner of his eye, Eddie saw Hen and Chimney holding back the family members, but he barely processed it, more focused on running after Buck towards the poor man.

“Drop to the floor and roll!” Buck shouted at the father, but either the man didn’t hear him or was in too much pain to process the instruction as he kept staggering away from the house. Seeing that he was heading dangerously close to the hedge, Eddie veered to the right in an attempt to cut him off, ready to tackle him but hoping it didn’t come to that. He heard more running footsteps behind him, chanced a quick glance over his shoulder so he knew what he was dealing with, and spotted Bobby hurrying towards them with a thick fire resistant blanket in his arms, followed closely behind by Chimney. Help, not another problem to contend with then. Thank fuck.

“Buck! Grab the other side!” Bobby unfurled the blanket as he approached, just in time for Buck to reach him and grab the outheld corner. Between them they pulled the blanket open and turned to the father who was still staggering along. It’d been less than a minute since the man had gotten out of the house, but to Eddie having to watch him burn, it felt like hours and could only be worse for the guy himself. Chimney stopped within arm’s reach of the man, and for a split second Eddie wondered what he was thinking, but then he opened his mouth and took a deep breath, exerting the supernatural power he possessed to pull the fire towards him so he could consume it. The height of the flames on the man rapidly shrank, and the blanket engulfing him moments later extinguished the rest. Chimney swallowed repeatedly to clear his throat, just as Hen reached them with a backboard and medical supplies. Despite having literally just eaten fire, Chimney dropped to his knees to help Hen do what they could for the man being slowly unwrapped from the blanket.

When the father had been passed off to the waiting ambulance, and the rest of the family were climbing into the back of the second ambulance, Eddie retrieved a bottle of water and tossed it to Chimney. He understood ignoring what had to be terrible thirst while treating the patient, but he wouldn’t stand by and let his friend ignore his own needs for a moment longer than necessary.

“Drink up.”

## Hen

As Hen was usually calm and collected and in control of herself, Eddie hadn’t seen much evidence of her having any supernatural abilities other than the occasional breeze where there shouldn’t have been one. The control she had was particularly important as a firefighter because a gust of wind at the wrong time could fan the flames of a fire and make their job harder. So, when he first saw her use her ability on a call instead of tightly clamping down on it, he was taken by surprise a little by just what she was capable of.

That morning’s callout was to a field on the outskirts of the city, where a mother and her child had been about to go for a hot air balloon ride. Unfortunately, the balloon had tugged loose before the pilot was ready to set off, and the unexpected motion had thrown him and the mother from the basket, leaving the kid huddled in the bottom as the balloon escaped. They’d been able to contact the child with the walkie talkie clipped to the basket, but the little girl wasn’t tall enough to reach the ropes that would deflate the balloon and bring it down again. If they couldn’t get the balloon down soon, who knows where it could end up? And more importantly, what state the child would be in. They’d soon realised that there wasn’t anything they could do from the ground, other than tend to the two adults’ minor injuries, and while they might be able to get mountain rescue to send a helicopter out, that would probably be too dangerous anyway.

“Cap, I can get up there.” Hen stood up from checking out the pilot and walked over to join Bobby, Buck, and Eddie who were all watching the balloon’s progress and wondering what on earth they could do to save the kid. Bobby didn’t ask if she was sure, instead just studied her for a moment, and then nodded.

“Be careful.”

“I will.” She grinned, and then added teasingly, “I’m not Buck.”

“Hey!” Buck gave a cry of protest, but Hen was already moving back a few metres, having dropped her bag at Eddie’s feet. A look of concentration covered her face, and then the winds in her immediate vicinity whipped up, her form seemed to blur ever so slightly as if she was no longer completely solid, and her feet left the ground. She shot upwards towards the balloon, leaving the rest of them in the dust and Eddie gaping after her. Hen could fly! He caught himself after a few seconds, closing his mouth with an audible click of his teeth, and then glanced at the two men next to him. Neither looked surprised, implying they’d seen it before. Eddie turned his attention back to Hen and her progress, impressed by how far she’d gotten in such a short period of time. It wasn’t long before she caught up with the balloon, slowing her approach when she got close, so she didn’t buffet it around. Eddie was squinting to see what was going on at that point, but he could just make out Hen leaping into the basket, briefly ducking out of sight to check on the kid, and then straightening again.

“I’m here. Kid seems unhurt.” Her quick report crackled out of their radios, and Eddie could feel the shared sigh of relief at the confirmation. They weren’t out of the woods quite yet but having one of them up in the balloon meant the likelihood of getting everyone back on solid ground safely was much higher. Indeed, not much later the pilot was able to talk Hen through landing the balloon and the mother and daughter were reunited, leaving the firefighters with the warm feeling of a job well done and no-one seriously hurt.

## Bobby

Like with Buck, Eddie had no idea what Bobby’s abilities were, or if he even had any, until he saw the captain use them on a call. Eddie figured that Bobby’s almost pathological need to provide his family and crew with food at all points maybe had something to do with his supernatural heritage, but it could also just be a personality trait. And even if he was rather curious, it wasn’t something you just asked outright, so he resigned himself to potentially never knowing.

The day that Eddie did find out, the crew had been sent to assist at a fire in a shopping mall. The other crews already at the call were managing to keep the fire from spreading further but putting it out was another matter entirely. The firefighters from the 118 sprang into action as soon as Bobby had liaised with the incident commander, joining in with the attempt to get the fire under control, or in Hen and Chimney’s case, helping with triage of the people who’d been in the mall when it caught fire.

A while later, the incident commander called Bobby back over and they had a serious looking conversation that Eddie couldn’t hear.

“What do you think that’s about?” Buck called to him over the noise of the fire and the water they were hosing it down with. Eddie shrugged, knowing it could be a million and one things and not having anything to go off. They didn’t have to wait long to find out though, as Bobby headed directly for them as soon as the conversation was over. The determined expression on his face worried Eddie a little because it was uncomfortably close to the one Buck often wore when he was about to do something risky in an attempt to save someone.

“We got a call from Dispatch saying there’s an adult male trapped in a walk-in fridge, but the restaurant is right in the middle of the fire and there’s no way to him until we get the fire out.” Bobby briefed Buck and Eddie on the situation, but before he could continue on to why he was telling them if there wasn’t anything they could do about it, Buck protested, “But that could be hours!”

“I know. Which is why I’m going in.”

“Cap…” Eddie knew he couldn’t tell his captain what to do, but he wouldn’t just pretend everything was fine about Bobby going on a self-professed suicide mission.

“If anyone can get that guy out of there, it’s Bobby.” Eddie gave Buck a look that said, ‘why are you supporting this?’, but Bobby pulled his attention back to him by putting a hand on Eddie’s shoulder.

“I don’t use it much because it tends to affect people around me badly, but my supernatural ability will let me get in and out.”

Eddie wasn’t going to stop worrying, but he felt a little better about the fact that Bobby seemed to believe he would get out unharmed. He nodded to show his acceptance of the statement, and that was apparently good enough as Bobby turned on his heel and walked towards the nearest entrance to the mall. The fire was licking the inside of the doors, but as soon as Bobby reached out to push one open, frost began to spread from his hand to cover the glass panels almost entirely. Then he was through, and the fire leaped up again, melting the frost on the doors instantly. Every moment that Bobby was inside, out of sight, was nerve-racking, but Eddie still had a job to do so he forced himself to focus on that instead. Putting out the fire was the best thing he could do to help after all.

After what felt like hours, but was in reality about fifteen minutes, Bobby emerged from the building with one arm around a figure wrapped head to toe in a fire-retardant blanket. Both of them were covered in frost, and Bobby’s eyes looked to be glowing an unearthly white although Eddie admitted that could just be a trick of the light. He allowed himself a sigh of relief as Bobby ushered the other person towards the medics, letting go as soon as they were out of reach of the flames. Bobby spoke and then the person let the blanket drop, revealing a young man who could only be barely out of his teens and looked relatively unscathed, at least from where Eddie was standing. Oddly, Chimney’s first action when the young man reached them was to hand him one of the protein bars that they kept on the fire truck, and only then did he move to the side so Hen could start checking him over.

“What did Bobby mean when he said his ability affects people badly?” Eddie raised his voice just loud enough for Buck to hear but no-one else and nodded towards the young man who’d already scarfed down the bar and was being handed a second.

“They get really hungry and if they spend too long in the cold aura they start literally wasting away.” Buck turned to look at Eddie, making sure the hose was still directed at the building automatically.

“Ahh, that’s why Chimney’s feeding the kid protein bars then.” Eddie was suddenly glad that the only damage his own abilities could do was if he just straight up attacked someone and could see why Bobby didn’t use his more often. Buck nodded and shot Eddie a reassuring smile.

“He’ll be okay. He’ll just need to eat twice as many meals today.”

## Eddie

When Eddie’s turn came to use his abilities on a call, it was much less life or death than the others’.

They’d been dispatched to what they thought was a child stuck in a tree but turned out to actually be a kitten. According to the owner, Oscar had gotten out into the yard in the brief moment she’d had the door open to bring in her shopping, and immediately chased a bird up the tree before she could catch him. Normally for those sorts of calls, they’d send someone up on the ladder, harnessed up for safety and with a bit of coaxing, that’d be that. However, the tree that this particular kitten had gotten stuck in had dense foliage and wide-reaching branches, meaning there was no chance of getting the ladder anywhere close. The crew clustered underneath the tree, trying to see if there was a way someone could climb up the trunk and rescue the kitten that way.

“I think I could get up with some climbing gear.” Buck sounded slightly doubtful, despite his words. Eddie also assessed it, but from a different point of view.

“I can do it, Cap.” Eddie’s voice was quiet but confident. “If I change.” The other three looked slightly confused, but Bobby had obviously seen his personnel file and knew what Eddie could do. It wasn’t that Eddie had been hiding his abilities from his friends specifically, just that he was long used to keeping it quiet and the habit had become automatic.

“Okay, go ahead. Just don’t get stuck too.” Eddie rolled his eyes at Bobby’s teasing, but just set down his gear, stepped back to give himself some space, and muttered the long since memorised incantation under his breath. One moment he was stood on two feet, feeling a little self-conscious given everyone was blatantly watching him, and the next there was the familiar whirl of magic, leaving him closer to the ground on four paws. As always, he was very thankful for all the time and effort his ancestors had put into developing the spell, so it transformed whatever the caster was wearing as well as the caster themselves. He didn’t fancy transforming back and appearing naked in front of everyone. And a report of public indecency whilst on the job wouldn’t do the department any favours.

“Kitty!” Buck gave a gleeful cry, grinning widely at Eddie’s jaguar form. Eddie growled at him, but Buck was clearly as confident that Eddie would never hurt him in this form as he was in his human form and didn’t even flinch. Eddie brushed passed him, knocking him off balance in retaliation, and then with a running jump leapt up onto the lowest branch of the tree. It didn’t take too long to wind his way up through the branches, leaping and climbing until he reached the kitten. Honestly, he was impressed that Oscar had made it this high. Eddie approached him slowly, not wanting to scare him more, and did his best to convey that he wasn’t a threat despite his size. He perched on the branch next to the kitten and in an attempt to stop him mewling, he lowered his head and licked a stripe down Oscar’s head and neck. The action seemed to calm him a little, so Eddie kept going, grooming the kitten until he started purring. Then he picked Oscar up by the scruff of his neck, being careful not to bite too hard, and began making his way back down out of the tree. He hopped from branch to branch until he reached the lowest one again, and then jumped right into the middle of the circle of people. Setting the kitten down at the owner’s feet, he couldn’t resist one last lick to reassure Oscar he was safe, although he immediately regretted it at Buck and Hen’s reactions.

“Oh my god that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”

“Who knew Eddie could be so adorable?!”

Eddie reversed the spell and transformed back into his human form, glower already firmly in place.

“I can still understand you when transformed, you know.”

He’d hoped that the knowledge would share out the embarrassment he felt but he wasn’t in luck as both of his friends still looked like the human equivalent of the heart eyes emoji. Chimney clearly biting back a laugh didn’t help either.

“Thank you so much! I was terrified he was going to fall or get snatched up by a bird or something.” The owner looked like she wanted to hug Eddie, but he was thankful that she’d just scooped up Oscar instead.

“You’re welcome. It’s all part of the job.” He shot her a warm smile, and then gathered his unneeded gear and quickly retreated to the truck.

“I can’t wait to give you lots of scritches!” Buck called after him, amusement evident in his voice. Now that Eddie had let the cat out of the bag (ha ha), he was never going to hear the end of it. Although if it kept Buck smiling that beautiful sunshine smile of his, then maybe it would be worth it. Scratch that. In the privacy of his own mind, Eddie could admit that it would definitely be worth it.


End file.
